There’s no better way to ring in the new year than planning out a fun year-long crochet project. This pattern will give you all the information you need to plan out your own temperature blanket or a historical temperature blanket for a special year – such as a child’s first year, anniversary, year of a wedding, etc. Tag us on Instagram @foxandpinestitches and use the hashtag #foxandpinetemperatureblanket to share your work in progress. You can also join our Facebook Group Fox and Pine Temperature Blanket to share your work in progress and see how others are making theirs.
When January rolls around, knitters and crocheters see temperature blankets popping up all over Pinterest, Ravelry, Instagram and Facebook groups. One Saturday morning last January I was browsing Pinterest and fell into the rabbit hole of temperature blankets while enjoying my morning coffee. I was inspired! Off to Michael’s I went and a few hours later I was starting my first row in my blanket. I’m happy to share with you how I made mine in hopes it inspires you to make one of your own.
* Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Although our patterns are always free on our blog, many prefer our premium ad-free, printer friendly, PDF versions. The premium pattern can be purchased HERE. This includes the bonus printable calendar, blanket temperature chart and other helpful pages.
Final Size:
60” across, 80” high.
Supplies:
Yarn – Any worsted weight yarn. The yarn used in the photos is Loops & Thread Impeccable. Colors – Soft Rose, Rich Orchid, Lippy, Petunia, Lavender, Eggplant, Skylight, Aqua, Teal, Blue Haze, Blue Moon, Navy. Border – White.
The number of balls required of each color will be determined by the number of colors you choose for your blanket and the amount you need to use each color through the year. The blanket shown required 2-3 balls of the most used colors, while other colors used 1 ball. I recommend buying extra so there is no issue if you run out of a ball and that color is no longer available. 1 ball of white for the border.
Purchase online: (Amazon USA) (Amazon Canada) (Michaels)
Hook – Size 4.5mm/7 or whichever size needed to obtain gauge listed below.
Other – Darning needle, stitch marker, measuring tape, scissors. Printed blank calendar and blank color chart (included in the ad-free downloadable version available to purchase here).
There are some amazing accessories to consider adding to your blanket to personalize it. StudioA2H makes personalized wooden buttons and tags that are perfect for your temperature blanket project. They are available here.
I also love these wooden color charts, found here , here and here!
Another option is adding a cute leather tag for each month of the year. I love these tags by MakeDoAndCraftUK.
Gauge:
4” x 4” = 14.5 stitches and 16 rows in single crochet (Sc).
Notes:
~ The beauty with this project is you do not need to feel pressured to crochet one row every single day of the year. You can go back and record the temperatures for previous days and work on the blanket when you want to catch up on the previous days. The websites provided below keep a history of the temperatures for each day so you can go back and record the previous days temperatures. You can also start the blanket at any time during the year and go back to January 1st and track the temperatures you missed to catch up.
~ The blanket is made using the moss stitch. I have seen several variations of this stitch on Youtube videos and in books. If you have a slightly different version you have used and know well, feel free to stick with that. If this is new to you, Tiffany from Daisy Farm Crafts has a very helpful Youtube video explaining the steps. It can be found here.
~ I used the “high” temperature for each day. This is the number the websites track in their weather history.
~ Our printable PDF version of this pattern (available to purchase here) includes a printable calendar and color chart. Use the calendar to record the temperatures as the days pass and keep track of the days/rows completed. I printed my color chart on cardstock and trimmed the edges. I used a hole punch to make a hole next to each color and attached a piece of that color of yarn. I stored my color chart, notes pages and my monthly calendar sheets in a clear sleeve so they stayed organized throughout the year.
~ Do yourself a favor and weave in your ends as you go! I went back and weaved in my ends after I finished each month. It will be a very daunting task if you wait until the blanket is finished.
~ I recommend setting up a rough draft of your temperature chart first so you know how many yarn colors to use. Once you start choosing your color palette, you can always alter the chart to make it work with the number of colors you would like to use.
~ Tag us on Instagram @foxandpinestitches and use the hashtag #foxandpinetemperatureblanket to share your work in progress. You can also join our Facebook Group Fox and Pine Temperature Blanket to share your work in progress and see how others are making theirs.
Setting Up Your Temperature Blanket:
The temperature range that you choose for your blanket will be determined by your location. For example, yearly temperatures for someone living in Maine will be much different than someone living in Florida.
You will use one of the following websites to determine what temperature range to use and to check the daily temperatures all year for your blanket. Wunderground is my favorite site for Fahrenheit temperatures. If you are in Canada and using Celsius, I recommend The Weather Network. The blanket shown in the photos was in Celsius rather than Farenheit and was based on a Canadian city (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island).
In the top right-hand corner, search for your location. Once your location is set, click the “Calendar” tab. The number in red is the high temperature recorded for each day. You can go back and track several days/weeks, so there is no need to panic if you forgot to record the temperature one day.
To determine what temperature range to use for your blanket based on your specific location, click on the coldest months from last year and write down the lowest “high” (in red) numbers you see. Repeat for the hottest months of the year and record the highest temperatures.
In the top right-hand corner, search for your location. Once your location is set, click the “Monthly” tab. The number in Black is the high temperature recorded for each day. You can go back and track several days/weeks, so there is no need to panic if you didn’t record the temperature each day.
To determine what temperature range to use for your blanket based on your specific location, click on the coldest months from last year and write down the lowest “high” (in black) numbers. Repeat for the hottest months of the year and record the highest temperatures.
Start by working in increments of 5 to see how your temperature range would work out based on your location.
Example:
The coldest high for the day in the winter months was 31 degrees. The hottest high for the day in the summer months was 94 degrees. For this location I may choose to do my temperatures like this:
90 and above
85-89
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35 and below
This works out to 12 yarn colors.
For a warmer climate with less variation through the year, your temperatures for each color may only be in increments of 3-4 degrees instead of 5 like the example above. Play around with the numbers until you are happy with your chart and what works with the number of yarn colors you want to use.
The chart below is what I used for my blanket, with increments of 4 degrees for each color. It is set for Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada – in Celsius.
Next choose your yarn colors. The blanket I made was done with 12 colors.
The color combinations are endless for your blanket. You can go with classic blues/grays for the coldest temperatures and orange/red for the warmest temperatures – or mix it up like the blanket shown. I knew this was going to be a blanket for my daughter’s room and wanted more pink/purple tones rather than red/orange.
I have rounded up some temperature blanket inspiration and ideas in this blog post. Check it out to see color combinations others have used in their own blankets and projects.
Directions:
You will use the Moss Stitch for the blanket. If this is new to you, Tiffany from Daisy Farm Crafts has a very helpful Youtube video explaining the steps. It can be found here.
Abbreviations:
Ch = Chain
SC = Single Crochet
Final Measurements: 60” wide by 80” high
Ch 270
Row 1 – Starting in the 4th chain from the hook, work SC, Ch 1. *Skip one chain, then SC, Ch 1 in the next chain. Repeat from * until the last chain. Work a SC into the last chain, then chain 2 and turn.
Row 2 – Insert your hook into the first chain one space from the previous row, and SC, Ch 1. Work SC, Ch 1 into each chain one space across the row. Work the last SC into the space between the last SC and turning chain of the row below. Chain 2 and turn.
Repeat row 2, changing colors at the end of the row as needed.
Changing colors – When coming to the end of a row and you need to switch colors for the next row, follow these steps for a smooth color change:
Before pulling through your last single crochet at the end of the row, wrap the new color on your hook and pull through with the color for the next row. Turn work. Ch 2 with the new color and continue the pattern as usual.
Border:
Once finished, use the white yarn and SC around the edges into each stitch and row of the blanket. SC 3 times in each corner.
Some common questions I’ve been asked:
Did you complete one row every single day?
No. I knew if I committed to doing this I would fail miserably. I worked on it when I was in the mood between other projects and often saved it for the weekends to catch up from the past week’s rows.
Would I do one again?
Yes! I loved seeing which colors were coming up each day and it was fun switching to a brand new one. I plan to make a similar one for my son with more blues, oranges and greens.
Do you have to wait until the following January 1st to start?
Nope! I got the itch to do mine mid January and just went back to the beginning of the month to track the temperatures starting January 1st. I have also seen blankets made using the temps from a special time – the 1st year of a marriage, a pregnancy blanket or baby’s first year. I love those ideas! If I made one for my son I would love to do it for his first year.
Don’t forget these handmade accessories to consider adding to your blanket to personalize it. StudioA2H makes personalized wooden buttons and tags that are perfect for your temperature blanket project. They are available here.
I also love these wooden color charts, found here , here and here!
Another option is adding a cute leather tag for each month of the year. I love these tags by MakeDoAndCraftUK.
Tag us on Instagram @foxandpinestitches and use the hashtag #foxandpinetemperatureblanket to share your work in progress. You can also join our Facebook Group Fox and Pine Temperature Blanket to share your work in progress and see how others are making theirs.
Although our patterns are always free on our blog, many prefer our premium ad-free, printer friendly, PDF versions. The premium pattern is available HERE. This pattern includes the bonus printable calendar, blanket temperature chart and other helpful pages shown below.
Follow Fox & Pine Stitches on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
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Pattern Credit: www.foxandpinestitches.com
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[…] year I completed my first temperature blanket and loved having a project that I could pick up throughout the year. You can find a full tutorial […]